Course Schedule - Work in Progress

Hi all - this is the tentative course schedule. Some things might change as folks iron out their schedules, but this is roughly secured.

MICA Game Workshop

Summer 2009

Week 1 – Intro and Concepting

Intro to MICA Game Workshop (Tuesday 6-10) – Dave Inscore, Art Director, Big Huge Games.

Discussion topics will include…

• Increased Importance of Traditional Art Skills
• Games as an Established and Compelling Art Form
• Capabilities and Challenges of Next Generation Software and Hardware
• Career Path Diversity
• Tools and Techniques of the Medium
• Entertainment and Mass Market Appeal
• Getting One’s Foot in the Industry Door
• Class will conclude with introduction to the class assignments
• Homework assignment – Pinocchio concept

Conceptual Drawing (Wednesday, 6-10) – Sean Andrew Murray, Lead Concept Artist, Big Huge Games.

• Look over Pinocchio sketches.
• Draw 20-30 thumbnail sketches of same character.
• Demo various digital and analog methods of sketching
• At end of class, put up thumbnails and choose one to redo the character from.
• Homework: From chosen thumbnail, re-do your character.

Conceptual Drawing (Thursday - Friday, 6-10) – Martin Kau, Concept Artist, Big Huge Games.

· Applying reference and story information into the final character

• Using similar techniques of adapting story and reference to create an environment that brings both the character and environment to life.
• Friday – Critique.

Week 2 – Intro to 3D

Intro to Modeling for Games (Monday – Friday, 6-10) – Chris Sulzbach, Firaxis Games

• TBD

Architectural Modeling and Game City Planning (TBD) – Ted Terranova, Lead Artist, Big Huge Games. Mondul Kao, Artist, Big Huge Games.

• Discuss environmental design and theory.
• Take a concept and break it down.
• Gather ref, plan out a process
• Low-poly modeling, texture pass
• High-poly modeling, texture pass
• Bring it all together
• HOMEWORK: finish 3D object

Week 3 – Texturing

Game Texturing – Unwrapping and Zbrush Environmental Textures (Monday–Friday, 6-10) – Colin Campbell, Artist, Big Huge Games

• Unwrapping demos.
• Zbrush Demo, look at some textures that have been created by Zbrush.
• Exporting your normal map.
• In-class work with Zbrush
• Homework: Create your own tiling environment textures and map them to your existing models.

2D game prototypes with free software: Gamemaker and Construct (Wednesday, 6-10) – Shaun Martin, Senior Artist, Big Huge Games

• Show off prototypes made in Gamemaker and Construct
• Go over how the programs both work a bit
• In class work with construct (try changing the game I have done)
• Optional homework: make a game!

Week 4 – Diffuse Textures, Intro to Rigging/Animation

Texturing Painting – (Monday - Tuesday, 6-10) – Sang Han, Artist, Firaxis Games.

• TBD

Animation – (Wednesday – Thursday, 6-10) Young Vo, Senior Artist, Big Huge Games.

• Definition and examples of animation. Film vs. Game animation.
• Class animates a bouncing ball and crit.
• Intro to rigging to different skeleton types.
• Intro to basic walk animations.
• Homework: walk cycle.

· Final Crit – Friday.

Final Crit – (Friday, 6-10) Dave Inscore, Art Director, Big Huge Games. Greg Foertsch, Art Director, Firaxis Games.